The government has made it compulsory for all public facilities and transport services to install automated external defibrillator (AED) devices by 2025, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
An AED is a medical device to analyse the heart rhythm and deliver electric shocks to victims of ventricular fibrillation to restore their heart rhythm if cardiac arrest occurs, especially in public places.
Khairy said the ministry will start with a programme called MyAED Komuniti (MyAED Community) where the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) and St John Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM) will provide 100 AEDs as a start throughout the country.
“In this phase, owners of premises will also prepare and improve the AED system, including participating in training provided by the MRSC and SJAM,” he said at a press conference after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between MRSC and SJAM.
Khairy said the AED installation project will be launched this June with an allocation of RM3 million.
Meanwhile, Khairy also said the Ambulance Hotspot project, which was a continuation of the pilot project implemented last year, would add 15 hotspot localities nationwide, bringing the total hotspots to 20.
“We target the ambulance response time, between 15 minutes and 30 minutes for priority emergencies within less than a 10-kilometre radius.
“That is our key performance indicator (KPI). We have approved an allocation of RM5 million,” he said.
The MOU aims to increase cooperation in ambulance service programmes, community first aid, disaster relief, and health promotion while supporting the Ministry of Health’s initiatives to improve the delivery of health care during emergencies or crises.
It also coordinates services and resources to provide better services.
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